Thermoelectric element unit, thermoelectric module including the same, and method for manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

A thermoelectric element unit is provided. The thermoelectric element unit includes a plurality of thermoelectric elements and a plurality of electrodes embedded in each of the thermoelectric elements by a predetermined number. Additionally, at least one of the plurality of electrodes includes a terminal part that protrudes to an exterior of the thermoelectric element having the at least one electrode embedded among the thermoelectric elements.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority toKorean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0140470, filed on Oct. 26, 2017,the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a thermoelectric element unit athermoelectric module including the same, and a method for manufacturingthe same and more particularly, to a thermoelectric element thatprevents a thermoelectric module from being damaged due to a differencein a coefficient of expansion between a thermoelectric element and anelectrode.

BACKGROUND

Recently, a usage amount of a thermoelectric module capable ofrecovering waste heat discharged from an apparatus such as a vehicleusing the Seebeck effect that generates an electromotive force by atemperature difference across a thermoelectric element has beenincreased. A conventional thermoelectric module includes an N-typethermoelectric element and a P-type thermoelectric element which arearranged alternately with opposite polarities. In particular, electrodeselectrically connect the thermoelectric elements with each other and abonding layer is interposed between the thermoelectric element and theelectrode to bond the thermoelectric element and the electrode, and thelike.

However, the thermoelectric element and the electrode generally havedifferent coefficients of expansion. For example, when thethermoelectric element and the electrode are thermally expanded atdifferent ratios during the use of the thermoelectric module the thermalstress acts on the bonding layer interposed between the thermoelectricelement and the electrode. Accordingly, the conventional thermoelectricmodule suffers deterioration of the performance of the thermoelectricmodule or the thermoelectric module may not be frequently used since thebonding layer is damaged by the thermal stress.

The above information disclosed in this section is merely forenhancement of understanding of the background of the disclosure andtherefore it may contain information that does not form the prior artthat is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill inthe art.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a thermoelectric element unit which isimproved to prevent a thermoelectric module from being damaged due to adifference in a coefficient of expansion between a thermoelectricelement and an electrode, a thermoelectric module including the same,and a method for manufacturing the same.

In an aspect of an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, athermoelectric element unit may include a thermoelectric element, and anelectrode having a terminal part that protrudes to an exterior of thethermoelectric element and embedded in the thermoelectric element. Theelectrode may have a rod shape elongated in a length direction and maybe disposed to penetrate through the thermoelectric element along thelength direction. The thermoelectric element may be formed of athermoelectric material sintered body having a predetermined sinteringtemperature, and the electrode may be formed of an electrode materialhaving a melting temperature greater than the sintering temperature.

According to another aspect of an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a thermoelectric module may include a plurality ofthermoelectric elements and a plurality of electrodes embedded in eachof the thermoelectric elements by a predetermined number. In particular,at least one of the plurality of electrodes may include a terminal partthat protrudes to an exterior of the thermoelectric element having theat least one electrode embedded among the thermoelectric elements. Eachof the thermoelectric elements may be formed of a thermoelectricmaterial sintered body having a predetermined sintering temperature, andeach of the electrodes may be formed of an electrode material having amelting temperature greater than the sintering temperature.

In some exemplary embodiments, the electrodes may be electricallyconnected to each other by a connection between the terminal part of anyone electrode of the electrodes and the terminal part of a differentelectrode of the electrodes. The thermoelectric module may furtherinclude a connection member configured to electrically connect theterminal part of the any one electrode with the terminal part of adifferent electrode. The connection member may include a femaleconnector mounted on the terminal part of the any one electrode and amale connector mounted on the terminal part of the different electrodeand selectively coupled to the female connector. In other exemplaryembodiments, the connection member may include a first elastic hookelastically coupled to the terminal part of the any one electrode, asecond elastic hook elastically coupled to the terminal part of thedifferent electrode, and a connecting part that electrically connectsthe first elastic hook and the second elastic hook with each other.

In other exemplary embodiments, the electrodes embedded together in thesame thermoelectric element among the thermoelectric elements may bedisposed to enable at least portions of the electrodes to be contactwith each other. The electrodes embedded together in the samethermoelectric element among the thermoelectric may be disposed in amesh shape. In particular, each of the electrodes may have a rod shapeelongated in a length direction and may be disposed to penetrate throughthe thermoelectric element in which the electrode is embedded among thethermoelectric elements in the length direction. The thermoelectricmodule may further include an insulating layer disposed on an exteriorside surface of at least one of the thermoelectric elements.

In another aspect of an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure,a method for manufacturing a thermoelectric element unit may includestacking a thermoelectric material powder and electrodes to embed theelectrodes in the thermoelectric material powder and forming athermoelectric element formed of a thermoelectric material sintered bodyformed by sintering the thermoelectric material powder and having theelectrodes embedded therein.

In some exemplary embodiments, the stacking of the thermoelectricmaterial powder and the electrodes may be performed to position at leastone end portion of opposite end portions of the electrode to protrude toan exterior of the thermoelectric material powder. The thermoelectricmaterial powder may have a sintering temperature less than a meltingtemperature of the electrode, and the forming of the thermoelectricelement may be performed at an ambient temperature less than the meltingtemperature. The stacking of the thermoelectric material powder and theelectrodes may include filling the thermoelectric material powder in alower mold to a predetermined height and seating the electrodes onpredetermined positions of the lower mold, mounting an upper mold on thelower mold and filling the thermoelectric material powder in the uppermold to a predetermined height to embed the electrodes in thethermoelectric material powder.

In some exemplary embodiments, the lower mold may include holdinggrooves to maintain the position of the electrodes and the filling ofthe thermoelectric material powder in the lower mold may be performed bymaintaining the position of the electrodes in the holding grooves. Theupper mole may include fixing protrusions inserted into the holdinggrooves and the mounting of the upper mold on the lower mold may beperformed by inserting the fixing protrusions into the holding groovesto maintain the position of the electrodes. The method may furtherinclude, after the forming of the thermoelectric element separating thelower mold and the upper mold from the thermoelectric element and theelectrodes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be more apparent from the following detailed descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary front view illustrating a schematic configurationof a thermoelectric module according to a first exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary perspective view of a thermoelectric element unitillustrated in FIG. 1 accordingly to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary view illustrating an aspect in which an electrodeillustrated in FIG. 2 is thermally expanded accordingly to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary perspective view of a thermoelectric element unitincluded in a thermoelectric module according to a second exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary view illustrating one aspect in which electrodesillustrated in FIG. 4 are stacked in a mesh shape according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary view illustrating another aspect in whichelectrodes illustrated in FIG. 4 are stacked in a mesh shape accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary front view illustrating a schematic configurationof a thermoelectric module according to a third exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is an exemplary front view illustrating a schematic configurationof a thermoelectric module according to a fourth exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is an exemplary perspective view of a thermoelectric element unitincluded in a thermoelectric module according to a fifth exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is an exemplary perspective view of a thermoelectric elementunit included in a thermoelectric module according to a sixth exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is an exemplary front view of a thermoelectric element unitincluded in a thermoelectric module according to a seventh exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is an exemplary plan view illustrating a coupling relationshipbetween thermoelectric element units included in a thermoelectric moduleaccording to an eighth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a method formanufacturing a thermoelectric element unit according to a ninthexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIGS. 14 to 21 are exemplary views illustrating aspects of performingthe respective operations illustrated in FIG. 13 according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure willbe described in detail with reference to the illustrative drawings. Itis to be noted that in giving reference numerals to components of eachof the accompanying drawings, the same components will be denoted by thesame reference numerals even though they are shown in differentdrawings. Further, in describing exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure, well-known constructions or functions will not be describedin detail in the case in which they may unnecessarily obscure theunderstanding of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

In describing the components of exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may beused. These terms are used only to differentiate the components fromother components. Therefore, the nature, order, sequence, etc. of thecorresponding components are not limited by these terms. In addition,unless defined otherwise, it is to be understood that all the terms usedin the specification including technical and scientific terms have thesame meaning as those that are understood by those skilled in the art.It should be understood that the terms defined by the dictionary areidentical with the meanings within the context of the related art, andthey should not be ideally or excessively formally construed unlessclearly defined otherwise in the present application.

It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or“comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence ofstated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/orcomponents, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components,and/or groups thereof As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any andall combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As usedherein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one ormore of the associated listed items. For example, in order to make thedescription of the present disclosure clear, unrelated parts are notshown and, the thicknesses of layers and regions are exaggerated forclarity. Further, when it is stated that a layer is “on” another layeror substrate, the layer may be directly on another layer or substrate ora third layer may be disposed therebetween.

Unless specifically stated or obvious from context, as used herein, theterm “about” is understood as within a range of normal tolerance in theart, for example within 2 standard deviations of the mean. “About” canbe understood as within 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%,0.1%, 0.05%, or 0.01% of the stated value. Unless otherwise clear fromthe context, all numerical values provided herein are modified by theterm “about.”

It is understood that the term “vehicle” or “vehicular” or other similarterm as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicle in general such aspassenger automobiles including sports utility vehicles (SUV), buses,trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety ofboats, ships, aircraft, and the like and includes hybrid vehicles,electric vehicles, combustion, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles,hydrogen-powered vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g.fuels derived from resources other than petroleum).

FIG. 1 is an exemplary front view illustrating a schematic configurationof a thermoelectric module according to a first exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure. FIG. 2 is an exemplary perspective view of athermoelectric element unit illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is anexemplary view illustrating an aspect in which an electrode illustratedin FIG. 2 is thermally expanded. In FIGS. 1 to 3, a length directionrefers to a length direction of a thermoelectric element 20 and a widthdirection refers to a width direction of the thermoelectric element 20.

Referring to FIG. 1, a thermoelectric module 1 according to a firstexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include a pluralityof thermoelectric element units 10 which are electrically connected witheach other. The thermoelectric element unit 10 may include a unit bodyin which the thermoelectric element 20 and an electrode 30 areintegrally coupled with each other. For convenience of explanation,hereinafter, such a thermoelectric element unit 10 is described and thethermoelectric module 1 will be then described.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the thermoelectric element unit 10 may includethe thermoelectric element 20 and at least one electrode 30 embedded inthe thermoelectric element 20. The thermoelectric element 20 may beformed from a thermoelectric material sintered body formed by sinteringa thermoelectric material powder P. In particular, a thermoelectricelement 20 may be formed from a thermoelectric material having asintering temperature less than a melting temperature of the electrode30 to be described below. For example, the thermoelectric element 20 maybe formed from a thermoelectric material such as a silicide-basedthermoelectric material, a skutterudites-based thermoelectric material,a BiTe-based thermoelectric material, or the like.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the thermoelectric element 20 may include afirst thermoelectric element 20 a and a second thermoelectric element 20b having opposite polarities. For example, when the first thermoelectricelement 20 a is an N-type thermoelectric element 20, the secondthermoelectric element 20 b may be a P-type thermoelectric element, andwhen the first thermoelectric element 20 a is the P-type thermoelectricelement 20, the second thermoelectric element 20 b may be the N-typethermoelectric element. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the firstthermoelectric element 20 a and second thermoelectric element 20 b maybe disposed alternately along a width direction of the thermoelectricelement 20 while having a predetermined interval therebetween.

The electrode 30 may have a rod shape elongated along a length directionof the electrode 30. As illustrated in FIG. 1, an electrode 30 may beembedded in the thermoelectric element 20 to penetrate through thethermoelectric element 20 along the length direction of the electrode30, that is, the width direction of the thermoelectric element 20.Accordingly, when the electrode 30 is supported and fixed by thethermoelectric element 20, the electrode 30 may be disposed at apredefined position without using a separate bonding material forbonding the electrode 30 and the thermoelectric element 20 to eachother.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the electrode 30 may be disposed to positionend portions of opposite sides thereof to each protrude to the exteriorthrough different exterior side surfaces of the thermoelectric element20 by a predetermined length. However, the electrode 30 is not limitedthereto, but the electrode 30 may also be disposed to enable an endportion of one side of the end portions of the opposite sides thereofprotrudes to the exterior of the thermoelectric element 20. Accordingly,the end portions of the electrode 30 protruded to the exterior of thethermoelectric element 20 may form terminals for electrically connectingthe electrodes 30 with each other or connecting the electrodes 30 withan external electrical device. For convenience of explanation,hereinafter, the end portions of one side of the electrode 30 protrudedto the exterior through one surface of the thermoelectric element 20 arereferred as first terminal parts 32 a and 34 a, and the end portions ofthe other side of the electrode 30 protruded to the exterior through theother surface of the thermoelectric element 20 are referred as secondterminal parts 32 b and 34 b. The number of the electrodes 30 to beinstalled is not particularly limited, and the electrodes 30 may beembedded in the thermoelectric element 20 by a predetermined number. Forexample, different numbers of the electrodes 30 may be embedded in therespective thermoelectric elements 20.

An installation position of an electrode 30 is not particularly limited.For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a first electrode 30 may bedisposed to be adjacent to an end portion 20 c of a heat source side ofthe thermoelectric element 20, and a second electrode 30 may be disposedto be adjacent to an end portion 20 d of a cool source side of thethermoelectric element 20. Referring to FIG. 1, the end portion 20 c ofthe heat source side of the thermoelectric element 20, which is an endportion of a first side of the thermoelectric element 20 disposed to bethermally in contact with a heat source H, may correspond to a heatabsorbing part configured to absorb heat discharged from the heat sourceH. Further, the end portion 20 d of the cool source side of thethermoelectric element 20, which is an end portion of the second side ofthe thermoelectric element 20 may be disposed to be thermally in contactwith a cool source C, corresponds to a heat radiating part configured totransfer the heat absorbed by the thermoelectric element 20 to the coolsource C. For convenience of explanation, hereinafter, some electrodes30 disposed to be adjacent to the end portion 20 c of the heat sourceside of the thermoelectric element 20 are referred to as a firstelectrode 32, and other electrodes 30 disposed to be adjacent to the endportion 20 d of the cool source side of the thermoelectric element 20are referred to as a second electrode 34.

An electrode 30 may be formed of a material having a melting temperatureless than a sintering temperature of a thermoelectric material thatforms the thermoelectric element 20. For example, the electrode 30 maybe formed of any one material of copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), carbon (C),titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), silver (Ag), platinum (Pt), and palladium(Pd) or an alloy of two or more materials of the above-mentionedmaterials. Accordingly, when the thermoelectric material powder P issintered when the electrode 30 which is formed in advance is embedded inthe thermoelectric material powder P for forming the thermoelectricelement 20, an alloy is not formed on an interface between the electrode30 and the thermoelectric element 20. Therefore, the electrode 30 may bephysically independent from the thermoelectric element 20 even in thestate in which it is embedded in the thermoelectric element 20.Therefore, during an actual use of the thermoelectric module 1, thethermoelectric element 20 and the electrode 30 may be each thermallyexpanded independently of each other by a ratio that corresponds to acoefficient of expansion in a state when they do not interfere with eachother.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the thermoelectric element units 10 may bedisposed at a predetermined interval along the width direction of thethermoelectric element 20 to position the electrodes 32 and 34 of thesame type on the same line. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the thermoelectricmodule 1 may be provided so that the plurality of thermoelectric elementunits 10 are electrically connected with each other according to apredetermined connection method. In other words, the thermoelectricmodule 1 may electrically connect the plurality of thermoelectricelement units 10 with each other according to at least one connectionmethod of a series and a parallel.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the electrode 30 of one thermoelectric elementunit 10 and the electrode 30 of a different thermoelectric element unit10 among a pair of thermoelectric element units 10 disposed to beadjacent to each other may be electrically connected with each other.For example, when the plurality of thermoelectric element units 10 areconnected in series with each other, the electrodes 30 of the same typemay be electrically connected with each other. The first electrodes 32and the second electrodes 34 may be alternately and electricallyconnected with each other along the width direction of thethermoelectric element 20. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, thefirst electrode 32 of one thermoelectric element unit 10 and the firstelectrode 32 of a different thermoelectric element unit 10 adjacent tothe first thermoelectric element unit 10 may be connected with eachother, and the second electrode 34 of the a thermoelectric element unit10 and the second electrode 34 of the different thermoelectric elementunit 10 adjacent to another thermoelectric element unit 10 may beelectrically connected with each other.

A method for electrically connecting the electrodes 30 is notparticularly limited thereto. For example, the electrodes 30 may beelectrically connected with each other by connecting between theterminal parts 32 a, 32 b, 34 a, and 34 b. In particular, the terminalparts 32 a, 32 b, 34 a, and 34 b of the electrodes 30 electricallyconnected may be connected with each other by welding or the like. InFIG. 1, reference numeral ‘W’ denotes a weld bead formed when theterminal parts 32 a, 32 b, 34 a, and 34 b are welded. However, when theterminal parts 32 a, 32 b, 34 a, and 34 b which are not welded to eachother are in contact with each other due to vibration or other causes,performance of the thermoelectric module 1 may be deteriorated due to ashort circuit formed between the terminal parts 32 a, 32 b, 34 a, and 34b which are not welded to each other. Accordingly, the terminal parts 32a, 32 b, 34 a, and 34 b of the electrode 30 to be electricallydisconnected from an adjacent electrode 30 among the electrodes 30 maybe short-trimmed to prevent contact with the terminal parts 32 a, 32 b,34 a, and 34 b of the adjacent electrode 30.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a thermoelectric module 1 may be disposed toposition the end portion 20 c of the heat source side of each of thethermoelectric elements 20 to be thermally in contact with the heatsource H and the end portion 20 d of the cool source side of the each ofthe thermoelectric elements 20 may be thermally in contact with the coolsource C. The type of the heat source H and the cool source C is notparticularly limited. For example, the heat source H may be an exhaustpipe or an exhaust manifold of a vehicle, and the cool source C may be acoolant jacket of the vehicle. Accordingly, the thermoelectric module 1may be configured to generate an electromotive force which isproportional to a temperature difference between the end portion 20 c ofthe heat source side and the end portion 20 d of the cool source sideand may be configured to supply it to an external electric device suchas a battery through the electrodes 30.

During an actual use of such a thermoelectric module 1, the electrodes30 may be thermally expanded by heat transferred from the thermoelectricelement 20 or heat transferred directly from the exterior. Inparticular, the first electrode 32 disposed to be adjacent to the endportion 20 c of the heat source side of the thermoelectric element 20may be thermally expanded by a ratio greater than the second electrode34 disposed adjacent to the end portion 20 d of the cool source side ofthe thermoelectric element 20, due to heat of high temperature suppliedfrom the heat source H. However, as described above, the electrodes 30may have the elongated rod shape and may be thermally expandedindependently of each other when they do not interfere with thethermoelectric element 20.

Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 3, during the actual use of thethermoelectric module 1, the electrodes 30 are mainly thermally expandedin the length direction of the electrodes 30, (e.g., the width directionof the thermoelectric element 20) and an additional length increment ofthe electrodes 30 may be configured to slidably move along theinterfaces between the electrodes 30 and the thermoelectric element 20and additionally protrude to the exterior of the thermoelectric element20. Therefore, according to the thermoelectric module 1, when thethermal stress acting between the electrodes 30 and the thermoelectricelement 20 during thermal expansion of the electrodes 30 is minimized,the performance of the thermoelectric module 1 may be prevented frombeing deteriorated or the thermoelectric module 1 may be prevented frombeing damaged by the thermal stress.

Further, when the thermoelectric module 1 has a structure in which theelectrodes 30 are embedded in the thermoelectric element 20, aninsulating substrate for insulating the electrodes 30 from the exteriormay not be required to be installed. Therefore, the thermoelectricmodule 1 may reduce heat loss due to the insulating substrate comparedto the conventional thermoelectric module when the installation of theinsulating substrate is required, thereby improving thermoelectricconversion efficiency.

Further, when the electrodes 30 have the elongated rod shape, thethermoelectric module 1 has a structure to impart flexibility to theelectrodes 30 compared to the conventional thermoelectric module inwhich the electrodes have a plate shape. Therefore, the thermoelectricmodule 1 may be applied to a device having a curved surface shape usingflexibility of the electrodes 30. Further, when the thermoelectricmodule 1 is applied to the device having the curved surface shape, theelectrodes 30 may be connected with each other by welding or otherconnection methods to form a predetermined included angle.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary perspective view of a thermoelectric element unitincluded in a thermoelectric module according to a second exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is an exemplary viewillustrating one aspect in which electrodes illustrated in FIG. 4 arestacked in a mesh shape. FIG. 6 is an exemplary view illustratinganother aspect in which electrodes illustrated in FIG. 4 are stacked ina mesh shape. A thermoelectric module 2 according to a second exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure differs from the thermoelectricmodule 1 described above in that a method for disposing the electrodes30 is different.

The electrodes 30 which are together embedded in any one thermoelectricelement 20 may be disposed to enable at least a portion thereof to be incontact with each other to have the same potential as each other. Forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the electrodes 30 which are togetherembedded in any one thermoelectric element 20 may be disposed in a meshshape. Accordingly, when the electrodes 30 are disposed in the meshshape, a contact area between the electrodes 30 and the thermoelectricelement 20 may be increased compared to when the electrodes 30 aredisposed in one direction and contact resistance between the electrodes30 and the thermoelectric element 20 may be reduced. A method fordisposing the electrodes 30 in the mesh shape is not particularlylimited. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the electrodes 30 mayinclude third electrodes 36 aligned in one direction which ispredetermined and fourth electrodes 37 aligned in the other directionforming a predetermined angle with the one direction to be overlappedwith the third electrodes 36 (a first method).

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the electrodes 30 may includefifth electrodes 38 and sixth electrodes 39 which are woven to betwisted with each other (a second method). According to the firstmethod, to maintain a contact state between the third electrodes 36 andthe fourth electrodes 37, the third electrodes 36 and the fourthelectrodes 37 may be bonded to each other by welding or other methods.Additionally, when the third electrodes 36 and the fourth electrodes 37are bonded to each other, the thermal stress may act between theelectrodes 30 and the thermoelectric element 20 due to distortionoccurring at bonded portions between the third electrodes 36 and thefourth electrodes 37 during thermal expansion of the third electrodes 36and the fourth electrodes 37. According to the second method, however,when the fifth electrodes 38 and the sixth electrodes 39 are inpress-contact with each other due to the weaving, the contact statebetween the fifth electrodes 38 and the sixth electrodes 39 may be morestably maintained even though the fifth electrodes 38 and the sixthelectrodes 39 are separately bonded to each other. Therefore, accordingto the second method, the thermal stress acting between the electrodes30 and the thermoelectric element 20 may be reduced.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary front view illustrating a schematic configurationof a thermoelectric module according to a third exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure. A thermoelectric module 3 according to a thirdexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure differs from thethermoelectric module 1 and may further include an insulating layer 50for insulating the thermoelectric module 3. The insulating layer 50 maybe disposed between the end portion 20 c of the heat source side of thethermoelectric element 20 and the heat source H, or between the endportion 20 d of the cool source side of the thermoelectric element 20and the cool source C, as illustrated in FIG. 7. The insulating layer 50may be formed of ceramic or other insulating materials. A method forforming the insulating layer 50 is not particularly limited. Forexample, the insulating layer 50 may be formed by a method includingputtering, e-beam evaporation, thermal spraying, or the like. Byinclusion of the insulating layer 50, the thermoelectric elements 20 maybe insulated from an external device such as the heat source H, the coolsource C, or the like.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary front view illustrating a schematic configurationof a thermoelectric module according to a fourth exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure. A thermoelectric module 4 according to a fourthexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure differs from thethermoelectric module 1 described above in a structure in which theelectrode 30 is installed.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the electrode 30 may be disposed to penetratethrough a pair of thermoelectric elements 20 having opposite polaritiesand disposed to be adjacent to each other in the width direction. Forexample, the first electrode 32 may penetrate through the firstthermoelectric element 20 a and the second thermoelectric element 20 bdisposed to be adjacent to each other in the width direction of thethermoelectric element 20, positioned to be adjacent to the end portion20 c of the heat source side of the thermoelectric element 20. Forexample, the second electrode 34 may penetrate through the firstthermoelectric element 20 a and the second thermoelectric element 20 bdisposed to be adjacent to each other in the width direction of thethermoelectric element 20, positioned to be adjacent to the end portion20 d of the cool source side of the thermoelectric element 20.Accordingly, a structure having the first electrode 32 and the secondelectrode 34 disposed as described may enable the thermoelectricelements 20 to be more easily electrically connected to each other usingthe electrode 30 without using a separate connection member 40.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary perspective view of a thermoelectric element unitincluded in a thermoelectric module according to a fifth exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. A thermoelectric module 5according to a fifth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosurediffers from the thermoelectric module 1 having the electrodes 30connected to each other by the welding by further including a connectionmember 40 for electrically connecting the electrodes 30 with each other.

A structure of the connection member 40 is not particularly limited. Forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the connection member 40 may be awire 42 wound on an overlapped portion in which the first terminal parts32 a and 34 a of the electrode 30 of any one thermoelectric element unit10 and the second terminal parts 32 b and 34 b of the electrode 30 ofthe other thermoelectric element unit 10 adjacent to any onethermoelectric element unit 10 are overlapped with each other.Accordingly, a wire 42 may be wound to simultaneously enclose outercircumference surfaces of the plurality of electrodes 30. The wire 42may electrically connect the electrodes 30 with each other and mayremove a potential difference between the electrodes 30 to provide theelectrodes 30 with the same potential.

FIG. 10 is an exemplary perspective view of a thermoelectric elementunit included in a thermoelectric module according to a sixth exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. A thermoelectric module 6according to a sixth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosurediffers from the thermoelectric module 5 described above by having adifferent the structure of the connection member 40. As illustrated inFIG. 10, the connection member 40 may be a conductor tape 44 coupled toan overlapped portion in which the first terminal parts 32 a and 34 a ofthe electrode 30 of any one thermoelectric element unit 10 and thesecond terminal parts 32 b and 34 b of the electrode 30 of the otherthermoelectric element unit 10 adjacent to any one thermoelectricelement unit 10 are overlapped with each other. Accordingly, a wire 42may be coupled to the electrodes 30 to simultaneously enclose outercircumference surfaces of the plurality of electrodes 30. The wire 42may electrically connect the electrodes 30 with each other and mayremove a potential difference between the electrodes 30 to provide theelectrodes 30 with the same potential.

FIG. 11 is an exemplary front view of a thermoelectric element unitincluded in a thermoelectric module according to a seventh exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. A thermoelectric module 7according to a seventh exemplary embodiment of the present disclosurediffers from the thermoelectric module 5 described above by having adifferent structure of the connection member 40. The connection member40 may be an elastic clip 46 that connects the terminal parts 30 a and30 b of the electrode 30 of any one thermoelectric element unit 10 withthe terminal parts 30 a and 30 b of the electrode 30 of a differentthermoelectric element unit 10 adjacent to any one thermoelectricelement unit 10.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, an elastic clip 46 may include a firstelastic hook 46 a elastically coupled to the terminal parts 30 a and 30b of the electrode 30 of any one thermoelectric element unit 10, asecond elastic hook 46 b elastically coupled to the terminal parts 30 aand 30 b of the electrode 30 of a different thermoelectric element unit10, and a connecting part 46 c electrically connecting the first elastichook 46 a and the second elastic hook 46 b with each other. At least aportion of such an elastic clip 46 may be formed of a conductor toelectrically connect the electrodes 30 with each other. A pair of firstelastic hooks 46 a may be symmetrically formed with each other to beeach elastically coupled to the first terminal part 30 a and the secondterminal part 30 b of the electrode 30 of any one thermoelectric elementunit 10. A pair of second elastic hooks 46 b may be symmetrically formedwith each other to each be elastically coupled to the first terminalpart 30 a and the second terminal part 30 b of the electrode 30 of thedifferent thermoelectric element unit 10. The connecting part 46 c maybe elongated along the width direction of the thermoelectric element 20to electrically connect the first elastic hook 46 a and the secondelastic hook 46 b with each other.

For example, an elastic clip 46, the elastic hooks 46 a and 46 b and theterminal parts 30 a and 30 b may be selectively elastic-coupled to eachother. Therefore, the thermoelectric module 7 may remove thethermoelectric element unit 10 when an abnormality occurs from thethermoelectric module 7, or may additionally install a newthermoelectric element unit 10 in the thermoelectric module 7 by theseparation and the coupling of the elastic hooks 46 a and 46 b and theterminal parts 30 a and 30 b. Thereby, the thermoelectric module 7 mayimprove convenience of maintenance and may more easily adjust the numberof the thermoelectric element units 10 included in the thermoelectricmodule 7.

FIG. 12 is an exemplary plan view illustrating a coupling relationshipbetween thermoelectric element units included in a thermoelectric moduleaccording to an eighth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Athermoelectric module 8 according to an eighth exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure differs from the thermoelectric module 5described above by having a different structure of the connection member40. The connection member 40 may be a connector 48 connecting theterminal parts 30 a and 30 b of the electrode 30 of any onethermoelectric element unit 10 with the terminal parts 30 a and 30 b ofthe electrode 30 of a different thermoelectric element unit 10 adjacentto any one thermoelectric element unit 10.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, such a connector 48 may include a femaleconnector 48 a mounted on the terminal parts 30 a and 30 b of theelectrode 30 of any one thermoelectric electric unit 10, and a maleconnector 48 b mounted on the terminal parts 30 a and 30 b of theelectrode 30 of a different thermoelectric element unit 10 andselectively coupled to the female connector 48 a. For example, thefemale connector 48 a may be mounted on any one of the first terminalpart 30 a and the second terminal part 30 b of the electrode 30 of anyone thermoelectric element unit 10, and the male connector 48 b may bemounted on any one of the first terminal part 30 a and the secondterminal part 30 b of the electrode 30 of a different thermoelectricelement unit 10. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the femaleconnector 48 a may be mounted on the first terminal part 30 a of theelectrode 30 of any other thermoelectric element unit 10, and the maleconnector 48 b may be mounted on the second terminal part 30 b of theelectrode 30 of a different thermoelectric element unit 10.

By such a connector 48, the thermoelectric element units 10 may beselectively coupled to each other through the female connector 48 a andthe male connector 48 b. Therefore, the thermoelectric module 8 mayremove the thermoelectric element unit 10 when an abnormality occursfrom the thermoelectric module 8, or may install a new thermoelectricelement unit 10 in the thermoelectric module by the separation and thecoupling of the female connector 48 a and the male connector 48 b.Accordingly, the thermoelectric module 8 may improve convenience ofmaintenance and may more easily adjust the number of the thermoelectricelement units 10 included in the thermoelectric module 8.

FIG. 13 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a method formanufacturing a thermoelectric element unit according to a ninthexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure and FIG. 14 is a viewillustrating an aspect of performing the respective operationsillustrated in FIG. 13. Referring to FIG. 13, a method for manufacturingthe thermoelectric element unit 10 according to a ninth exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure may include an operation ofstacking a thermoelectric material powder P and electrodes 30 to embedthe electrodes 30 in the thermoelectric material powder P (S10), and anoperation of forming a thermoelectric element 20 formed of athermoelectric material sintered body formed by sintering thethermoelectric material powder P and having the electrodes 30 embeddedtherein (S20).

The stacking of a thermoelectric material powder P and electrodes 30(S10) may include filling the thermoelectric material powder P in alower mold 60 to a predetermined height and seating the electrodes 30 onpredetermined positions of the lower mold 60 (S12), mounting an uppermold 70 on the lower mold 60 (S14), and filling the thermoelectricmaterial powder P in the upper mold 70 to a predetermined height toembed the electrodes 30 in the thermoelectric material powder P (S16).The thermoelectric material powder P may be filled in the lower mold 60to the predetermined height and the electrodes 30 may be held in holdinggrooves 66 of the lower mold 60 to be described below (S12).

As illustrated in FIG. 14, the lower mold 60 may include an outer wall62 having a cylindrical shape and a cover sheet 64 closing a loweropening of the outer wall 62. The outer wall 62 may be formed of agraphite material and the cover sheet 64 may be formed of a carbonmaterial, but are not limited thereto. One or more holding grooves 66 inwhich the electrodes 30 may each be held are formed in an upper endportion of the outer wall 62.

Each of the thermoelectric material powder P and the electrode 30 may beformed of a predetermined material to enable a sintering temperature ofthe thermoelectric material powder P to be less than a meltingtemperature of the electrode. As illustrated in FIG. 15, thethermoelectric material powder P may be filled in the lower mold 60 to aheight corresponding to the lower end portion of the holding groove 66.As illustrated in FIG. 16, the electrode 30 may be seated in the lowermold 60 to maintain at least one end portion of opposite end portionsthereof in the holding groove 66. The electrode 30 may be held in theholding groove 66 when the thermoelectric material powder P is filled inthe lower mold 60, but is not limited thereto. In other words, after theposition of the electrodes 30 are maintained in the holding grooves 66,the thermoelectric material powder P may be filled in the lower mold 60through a gap between the electrodes 30. A a lower end portion of theupper mold 70 may be maintained on an upper end portion of the lowermold 60.

As illustrated in FIGS. 17 and 20, the upper mold 70 may include anouter wall 72 having a cylindrical shape and a cover sheet 74 closing anupper opening of the outer wall 72. The outer wall 72 may be formed of agraphite material and the cover sheet 74 may be a carbon material, butare not limited thereto. One or more fixing protrusions 76 selectivelyinsertable into the holding grooves 66 may be formed on the lower endportion of the outer wall 72. As illustrated in FIG. 17, the mountingthe lower end portion of the outer wall 72 on the upper end portion ofthe outer wall 62 may be performed to insert the fixing protrusions 76into the holding grooves 66 (S14). Thereby, the fixing protrusions 76may prevent the thermoelectric material powder P from being exposed tothe exterior through the holding grooves 66 and compress and maintainthe position of the electrodes 30 held in the holding grooves 66. Thethermoelectric material powder P in the upper mole 70 may be filled(S16) as illustrated in FIG. 18. As illustrated in FIG. 19, theelectrodes 30 may be embedded in the thermoelectric material powder P,and at least one end portion of the electrode 30 may be exposed to theexterior of the thermoelectric material powder P through the holdinggroove 66.

Further, the thermoelectric material powder P may be sintered in a statein which it is filled in the molds 60 and 70 (S20). As illustrated inFIG. 20, after the upper opening of the outer wall 72 is closed by usingthe cover sheet 74, the thermoelectric material powder P may besintered. Further, the thermoelectric material powder P may be sinteredat an ambient temperature greater than the sintering temperature of thethermoelectric material powder P and less than the melting temperatureof the electrode 30 to prevent the electrode 30 from melting. When thethermoelectric material powder P is sintered as described above, thethermoelectric element unit 10 including the thermoelectric element 20formed of the thermoelectric material sintered body and the electrodes30 embedded in the thermoelectric element 20 may be formed.

Further, as illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 21, the method for manufacturingthe thermoelectric element unit 10 may further include of separating themolds 60 and 70 from the thermoelectric element 20 and the electrodes 30(S30), for example, the thermoelectric element unit 10. As describedabove, the thermoelectric element unit, the thermoelectric moduleincluding the same, and the method for manufacturing the same mayprevent the performance of the thermoelectric module from beingdeteriorated or damaged due to the thermal stress. Accordingly, thethermal stress between the thermoelectric element and the electrode maybe reduced by embedding the electrode in the thermoelectric elementwithout using the separate bonding material.

The spirit of the present disclosure has been merely exemplified. Itwill be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and alterations can be made without departing from theessential characteristics of the present disclosure. Accordingly, theexemplary embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure do not limitbut describe the spirit of the present disclosure, and the scope of thepresent disclosure is not limited by the exemplary embodiments. Thescope of the present disclosure should be construed by the followingclaims and it should be construed that all spirits equivalent to thefollowing claims fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

1.-13. (canceled)
 14. A method for manufacturing a thermoelectricelement unit, comprising: stacking a thermoelectric material powder andelectrodes to embed the electrodes in the thermoelectric materialpowder; and forming a thermoelectric element formed of a thermoelectricmaterial sintered body formed by sintering the thermoelectric materialpowder and having the electrodes embedded therein.
 15. The methodaccording to claim 14, wherein the stacking of the thermoelectricmaterial powder and the electrodes is performed to position an endportion of opposite end portions of the electrode to protrude to anexterior of the thermoelectric material powder.
 16. The method accordingto claim 14, wherein the thermoelectric material powder has a sinteringtemperature less than a melting temperature of the electrode, and theforming of the thermoelectric element is performed at an ambienttemperature less than the melting temperature.
 17. The method accordingto claim 14, wherein the stacking of the thermoelectric material powderand the electrodes includes: filling the thermoelectric material powderin a lower mold to a predetermined height and seating the electrodes onpredetermined positions of the lower mold; mounting an upper mold on thelower mold; and filling the thermoelectric material powder in the uppermold to a predetermined height to embed the electrodes in thethermoelectric material powder.
 18. The method according to claim 17,wherein the lower mold includes holding grooves that maintain theposition of the electrodes, and the filling of the thermoelectricmaterial powder in the lower mold is performed by maintaining theposition of the electrodes in the holding grooves.
 19. The methodaccording to claim 18, wherein the upper mole includes fixingprotrusions inserted into the holding grooves, and the mounting of theupper mold on the lower mold is performed by inserting the fixingprotrusions into the holding grooves to maintain the position of theelectrodes.
 20. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:separating the lower mold and the upper mold from the thermoelectricelement and the electrodes.